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Monday, 18 July 2011

Crisis Worsens for Murdoch's Media Empire

Brooks will be questioned by police and Mp's

By Ben Aulakh

The hacking crisis currently enveloping Ruper Murdoch’s news empire continues to worsen for the media owner.

News International’s former chief executive, Rebekah Brooks, who resigned last Friday, was arrested at midday on Sunday.

Ms Brooks will now be questioned over the phone hacking, which is alleged to have occurred while she was editor of the NoW in 2002.

She will also be asked about the possible bribing of police officers for information on investigations in which they were involved, which later made it into stories in the paper.

The Prime Minister’s former Head of Communications Andy Coulson, who succeeded Brooks as NoW editor in 2003, was also arrested on July 8.

He will be taken by police through allegations that he conspired to intercept communications, and on the suspicions of corruption.

Another of News International’s former chief executive’s Les Hinton, who worked for Murdoch for 52 years, also resigned on the same day as Brooks.

The American arm of media mogul’s empire is also being investigated by the FBI, over the possibility that NoW journalist’s hacked into the phones of victims of the September 11 attacks.

The media mogul Rupert Murdoch, his son James, who is chairman of BskyB, and Ms Brooks are also set to face three hours of questions from the culture select committee, which is looking into the allegations of bribery and phone hacking.